Stars perfect the pop song

The pop quintet steps away from a mathematical method.

By Joey Vergara

Published April 18, 2008

In the list of things Evan Cranley enjoys, “playing my motherfuckin’ bass” ranks pretty high. Between releasing their latest album, In Our Bedroom After the War, online within days of its completion and challenging their friends to remix and cover their breakthrough record, Set Yourself on Fire, the Stars bassist has had plenty of opportunities to play.

The prompt release of the Canadian pop quintet’s fifth album was a decision made in order to give fans a chance to experience the music sooner rather than later in an industry traditionally based on marketing and press.

“It created a lot of buzz without press, and I think that was really special,” Cranley said. “People had to kind of explore on the Internet and through word of mouth with their friends about how to get the record. That creates genuine interest and love for something. It’s not just a marketing scheme and a commercial and a poster that gets rammed down your throat. It’s a conversation.”

In Our Bedroom After the War marked Stars’ development into a fully formed band with a solid vision. Backed by a crystallized lineup (Cranley, dual vocalists Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell, keyboardist Chris Seligman and drummer Pat McGee) and a desire to better represent the band’s live performance, the record pushes Stars’ music into fresh territories — louder guitars (“Bitches in Tokyo,” partly thanks to friend and Apostle of Hustle himself Andrew Whiteman), dramatic, arena-rock choruses (“Take Me to the Riot”) and even a King of Pop-falsetto or two (“The Ghost of Geneva Heights”).

“I think we really came into our element on that tour as a live band, and that transcended into the writing process of the new record where we tried to be a little more raw and off-the-floor with the music,” Cranley said. “We can be very mathematical with music, and we decided to let that go as much as we could this time around.”

It’s the genuine storytelling and charm of the band’s two vocalists that draw listeners into Stars’ music — what Cranley sees as the focal point of any good pop record.

“The best way to connect in a pop song for me is through a strong vocal take,” Cranley said. “You can have the best guitar sound in the world or the snappiest snare drum coming right up the middle that’s kicking your ass, but if you don’t have an intimate vocal and something you can’t identify with and trust what’s coming through the microphone, then you can’t identify with the listener.”

For Cranley, Stars is, besides a chance to play bass, something he misses in other projects like Broken Social Scene — his identity.

“The band is my family and my life and my home,” he said. “If Stars is a house, then I live in the home that is my band. Playing my motherfuckin’ bass.”